Water waves occur in natural and artificial bathymetry. Wind, water current, and topographical features each and in combination thereof can cause the generation of waves. Relying on naturally occurring conditions and limitations in geographic location can greatly diminish availability, predictability, frequency and quality of waves sought in the art and sport of surfing. Attempts have been made to enhance wave size, shape and direction of peel to best meet the demands of the surfer. Artificial reefs have been successfully constructed thereby enhancing the waves generated by wind, topographic features and bathymetry. Such reefs are constructed using mathematical models under conditions of several variables, and consequently upon full-scale construction do not perform exactly as intended. Scale working models are utilized in testing reef size and configuration with promising results. However, when full-scale inventions are constructed at extensive cost, the performance is less than expected because of dynamic inconsistencies in the physics of bringing models to full-scale size. Most man-made reefs and all natural reefs are static and thereby exist in specific configuration resulting in drastically limited variation in wave generation. Rigid reef inventions that provide for variation in orientation and alignment with respect to a pool bed provide some variation in wave type, however they do not provide more than one direction of peel, they do not provide variation in the rate of peel of waves generated, nor do they provide for a near infinite combination or plurality of simultaneous waves.
In other prior art wave forming devices, attempts have been made to enhance wave size, wave shape, wave duration, and wave direction of peel by placing an adjustable weir onto the bed of the body of water, normal to the direction of flow. The specific incline to the weir and decline to the bed is basically a reef. The elevation of the weir with respect to the elevation of the bed is varied by means of hydraulic piston cylinders, pivot points or combination of both.
Other wave enhancing devices include rigid reef configurations that are suspended above the bed of the body of water at predetermined distances and predetermined angle of inclination with respect to the direction of water flow, thereby attempting to establish adjustment of the reef in juxtaposition to the bed, water flow, and water depth. Cables and or hydraulic pistons are interconnected, anchored onto the bed and onto the distal surface of the reef.
In other prior art wave forming devices, a wave is actually simulated in the water itself, rather than being defined by a surface over which a thin sheet of water flows. U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,547 of Hill, Feb. 1, 2000, describes a wave forming apparatus which attempts to simulate natural antidune formations in order to create waves. A water-shaping airfoil disposed within a flume containing a flow of water, and a wave-forming ramp is positioned downstream of the airfoil structure.
In other prior art arrangements, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,928,670 B2 of Lochtefeld et al., Aug. 16, 2005, describes a moving reef wave generator that travels along the surface of a body of water, and preferably in the middle thereof, wherein the wave generator can create both primary and secondary wave that travel toward the shore. The primary waves are intended to allow surfing maneuvers to be performed in a relatively deep water environment. The secondary waves can break, wherein by modifying the shoreline's slope and curvature, and providing undulating peninsulas and cove areas, various multiple wave formations and effects can be created.
In the prior art of McFarland, U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,541 B2, Aug. 23, 2005, a plurality of a semi-rigid reef, referred to a weir, is interconnected in cantilever onto the bed of a pool of water at the upstream, leading end, having a predetermined abrupt incline and gentle downward slope at the downstream end. A secondary passageway extends through the bed form, with a first end adjacent the trailing end of the bed form, and a second end in the bed form upstream of the first end, thereby creating a pocket between the bed and underside of the hydraulic rams that independently control the lift of each cantilevered reef. A grating is provided between adjacent reefs to prevent inadvertent entry between the reefs and water return channels beneath. However, the grating provides the risk of collision with an occupant in the event of a fall in riding a wave. Furthermore, although the invention provides for some variation in wave size, it does not provide for variation in wave peel direction, wave type, wave size, or wave orientation. The flow of water current between wave cycles could create serious rip tides between and beneath the suspended reefs.
In the prior art of Hill, U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,547, Feb. 1, 2000, an airfoil chute or pool and an aerofoil structure shapes the flow of water generated by the chute and variable ramp. Although there is some variation in wave shape of the surfable wave, the rigid surface of both airfoil and ramp limits the variation in reef configuration and thusly wave type, size, and peel. Furthermore, the suspended configuration of the airfoil presents a safety hazard, causing an occupant to become lodged between the airfoil and pool bed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,928,670 B2 of Lochtefeld et al., Aug. 16, 2005, the moving reef traverses along the length of a pool near the surface of the water, pulled along a track fastened onto a pool bed. This moving device can be inadvertently impacted by the surfer resulting in serious injury. Even though the device moves, the rigid configuration greatly reduces the variation of wave generation types and direction of wave peel. To enhance wave size, the device must move at a greater rate of speed, thereby increasing the risk of bodily injury if impacted by the surfer. The mechanical means of connecting the moving reef device to the track system creates further risk of injury at the juncture of the moving reef's stem and tracking slot located between the track-mounted trolley and interconnecting moving reef. In testing a wave-generating invention at a scaled-down size, the outcome in full-scale engineering can result in failure. A full-scale production reef was constructed having a buoyant, rigid reef subtended by cables subtended from the distal face of the reef and anchored to a reinforced-concrete pool-bed. When tested, the wave energy generated an uplifting force sufficient enough to separate the attachment of the reef from the pool-bed, virtually pulling the anchored cables from the pool bed, causing millions of dollars in damage and severe delays in the project.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a variety of wave size.
It is another object of the invention to provide a variety in wave shape.
It is another object of the invention to provide a predetermined wave direction of peel.
It is another object of the invention to establish a predetermined rate of wave peel.
It is another object of the invention to reconfigure wave attributes of size, shape, and orientation in minimum time.
It is another object of the invention to program predetermined reef configurations thereby to program specific wave types.
It is another object of the invention to program predetermined reef configurations thereby to program specific wave direction of peel.
It is another object of the invention to program predetermined reef configurations thereby to program specific wave size.
It is another object of the invention to program predetermined reef configurations thereby to program specific wave duration.
It is another object of the invention to program predetermined reef configurations to generate more than one wave simultaneously.
It is another object of the invention to provide a reef that will respond to human impact if inadvertently struck, thereby reducing risk of bodily harm or injury.
It is another object of the invention to provide a chamber that will allow for water circulation of the pool.
It is another object of the invention to provide a chamber that will minimize down-time in repair or replacement of a defective module.